(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for handover. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for synchronized handover.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a mobile communication system, handover is executed in the case in which a base station accessed by a terminal is changed due to movement of the terminal. In the case in which the handover is generated due to the movement of the terminal, an interruption time in which the terminal does not receive data occurs during a period in which the terminal is disconnected from a source base station and is connected to a target base station. In order to reduce the interruption time, a method for handover of maintaining connection between the terminal and the source base station during the handover and disconnecting the terminal from the source base station after connection between the terminal and the target base station is completed has been discussed.
However, the source base station transmits data to the terminal while forwarding data to the target base station in a state in which it does not know a handover operation situation of the terminal. Since the source base station may not know when the terminal is handed over to the target base station in this situation, the source base station forwards unnecessary data to the target base station, such that resources between the base stations may be wasted. In addition, in spite of a state in which the terminal is handed over to the target base station, the source base state transmits data to the terminal, such that radio resources may be wasted.